Sumatra Volcano Eruption Forces Thousands to Flee

Two people have died and more than 30,000 were displaced when a long-dormant volcano in Indonesia erupted again on Monday, officials said.

Photo: Sumatra Volcano Eruption Forces Thousands to Flee

Mount Sinabung, which had been dormant for more than 400 years before it erupted early Sunday, erupted again for more than six hours Monday, shooting smoke more than three miles into the air. The rumbling sent tremors into nearby villages, where officials said some residents panicked, CNN says.

Villagers living along the slopes of Mount Sinabung in North Sumatra province have packed up their belongings and headed to emergency shelters, mosques and churches, said Andi Arief, a presidential adviser on disasters.

Their abandoned homes and crops were blanketed in heavy, gray soot, and the air was thick with the smell of sulfur, The Associated Press informs.